I'm on my 5th week and I'm STALLED. Actually, I've been stalled ever since week 1. I lost about 7-8 lbs in the first week and I've been gaining/losing the same 1/2 pound ever since then. I just need to figure out what I'm doing wrong!

I have been logging everything I eat.

I'm supposed to be upping my carbs each week, but since I haven't been losing, I'm sticking to 25g net carbs. I don't always make it to 25, though, sometimes it is less and I'm just not hungry. I have verified I'm in ketosis; dark purple. My goal this week is to be sure I make it to 25g NC to see if that is the problem...

Maybe I'm eating too much fat? My fat/carb/protein ratios are usually pretty good: 60-80% fat, 8-12% carbs, and 40-60% protein. I read somewhere that the fat should be highest, followed by protein, then carbs. I know I'm not supposed to over-do it on protein either, I don't think that's the problem, but at this point I really don't know.

I haven't added nuts or fruits to my regimen since I'm not losing. Any suggestions? I haven't cheated!! Unless I'm somehow cheating without realizing it!

I have about 20-25 lbs to lose, and I've been feeling really good. I have done weight watchers in the past, so I felt horrible for the first 3 days, but now I feel better than I ever did on WW. Some days I notice my pants feel better and some days I don't, so it's hard to tell. I haven't done any actual measurements so far...

I think I may have stumbled upon something important in one of the sticky's. I read that I should not have less than 1800 calories per day, and I've been under that almost everyday! Could this be the reason? In the past 4-5 weeks, I've made it over 1800 cal only 7 days - yikes!

2 oz. of heavy cream might be a little high. I thought it was 2 tablespoons a day. I could be wrong. I LOVE hwc!

: Well... you are probably right, I think it is actually 2 tbsp (I was thinking 1 tbsp = 1 oz). We have stryofoam cups at work, which will only hold about 6 oz of fluid. So, I put heavy cream in the bottom and fill the rest w/coffee. Probably 1/4 cream and 3/4 coffee.

Because you have just started induction, I wouldn't worry so much about counting calories. I think your menu looks pretty good.
It's completely common to stall and reach a plateau after a few weeks on Atkins.
Keep doing what you are doing for right now and take those measurements! You just might be losing inches.
How do your clothes fit?

I feel the same way. Been on adkins for four weeks now. I weigh tomorrow, but started with 13 lbs the first week, 2 the second, then 0 the third week. I weight a few days ago and have only lost 1 more. At first I was kind of discouraged because I was expecting a steady 3 to 4 lbs a week. I thought it over though, and 16 lbs in a month is pretty good. I'm going to stick with it and see how it goes though. One reason for me to continue though, is I have noticed a big difference in my anxiety levels. I think the sugar and carbs were giving me the panic attacks I used to get. Haven't had one since I started... Pretty awesome... I wanted to see if you all could have a look at my menu too to see if I'm doing something wrong... Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast - 3 sausage links, diet coke
Lunch - Arby's roast beef (no bread, just meat)
Sugar free lemonade made with splenda
Dinner - Meatloaf with 1 cup of broccoli steamed
I had four bottles of water throughout the day...

Diet Coke stalls some. I'm not one of them. I added in Diet Coke last week and it appears I'm losing faster than the past several weeks. Somehow...
Also, not sure what's in your meatloaf. Did you make it? I found meatballs that actually don't have breadcrumbs in them and I eat about a pack every week or two (25 meatballs, 5 per serving). I can't lose unless I eat a salad a day. It used to be annoying to have to eat leafy greens that much, but last week I got so hungry I ate my lunch at 9 am and here I am at my lowest weight. You've got a lot of meat there, though. I do that with Arby's sandwiches sometimes. I have to stay away from the meats so much because I wind up retaining water. It's all so unique to each person. I kept hearing how cheese stalls people so I quit cheese before I could get the chance to stall and then I really did stall. Added it back in and I'm losing. In other words, I really don't know! But I wish you the best!

I drank the diet coke in my first week when I lost 13lbs. I actually drank more that week than now, I'm down to only one per day. Maybe I need to go back to three per day. The meatloaf I made with hamburger, parmasan cheese, celery, eggs, seasonings (2carbs in the seasoning). Good advice. Now that you mention it I have stopped eating colby cheese cubes. I love salad but I was afraid of the carbs... Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it and congrats on your weight loss. Maybe I'll be there soon.

I am right there with you all - Lost 8 pounds in induction - now in week 4 and have only lost 3 more and it fluctuates daily. Frustrated - and the lone package of cookies in my pantry is calling my name as I sit here. *sigh*

You guys are all experiencing a typical weight loss pattern. Your greatest loss will be in the first two weeks. This is partly due to the water you lost as you used up your glycogen stores. It takes a lot of water to keep glycogen in storage. When you didn't replenish the glycogen the water was released. Next... it's VERY common for little or no weight loss in weeks 3 and/or 4. After that it should kick in again... but expect 1/2 to 2 pounds a week. Yes, this is even if you stay at Induction levels. The more you have to lose, the better your chances of hitting 2# a week. The closer you get to your goal weight, especially the last 10 pounds, the more likely you will be to only lose 1/2# a week... or less. At that point you'll be losing 2 pounds a MONTH. That's not stalled. That's normal. It also makes sense because you want to glide into maintenance, not slam into it. There should be a smooth transition... barely noticeable... between OWL, PreMaintenance and Maintenance. By the time you hit your goal weight you shouldn't have to change a thing to stay there. You won't need to "eat more now". What you did to get there is what you'll need to do to stay there. There is no finish line... Does that make sense?

My goal is 135-140lbs. I'm starting to get really frustrated with this because I'm just gaining and losing the same 1/2 lb week after week. I'm really tempted to go back to weight watchers because I never experienced a stall like this. However, having said that, I really like atkins, I like the food I'm eating and I'd rather stick with it but I can't seem to make it work. To me, it doens't make sense to go on and on and on if I'm not getting any results!

Last week, I made sure I got 25 carbs everyday, and I stayed between 1700-1900 calories. That resulted in minimal difference (the same 1/2 lb). Sometimes I get less than 20 carbs in a day, which is why I made sure to get 25 everyday last week, to see if that was the problem.

Maybe I'm eating too much fat? Here's what I ate yesterday:

Went to Chili's - had a bacon cheeseburger with avocado slices, threw out the bun. Had steamed broccoli as a side. We did order chips and salsa... so I ate probably 10 chips with salsa. This is my first ever CHEAT on the diet - but I recall from ww that cheating a little would sometimes help get over a stall...

For dinner I had some store-bought rotisserie chicken. As a side I had spicy pork rinds which I dipped in cheese (we bought a block of mexican dipping cheese, and melted it with heavy cream on the stovetop).

Sometimes I have 1/2 carb smart ice cream, but last night I didn't. Normally I eat more throughout the day, but we were out and about all day yesterday. Can anyone see what I'm doing wrong? I know the tortilla chips were a no-no, but like I said, I haven't cheated this whole time. If I hadn't eaten them, my carb count would have been too low...

carb smart contains malitol which stalls many...it is a bad sugar alcohol in my book. You are better off with no sugar added breyers plain vanilla it is closest in carb count to carb smart. If I were you I would skip all extras of pre made foods for a couple weeks and stick to as much non-processed food as possible...there are probably some added sugar alcohols or other fillers that could be causing the problem...ditch the pork rinds for a couple weeks and eat just from the induction list...see if this will kick stat you...if you have to have a soda diet rite is sweetened with splenda...you may just be one of those who is sensitive to a certain ingredient...if you start losing again add in one item from a new food group a week and see how your loss reacts.
It is likely a processed food that is causing this...I stall completely if I do the Atkins bars for more than 1 day in a row. They are a last resort for me.
You also have only 20 to 25 pound to lose...sounds like a lot to you but to us that is almost to goal so your loss will be slower.
Good luck and work the plan.

Cheese is often a diet buster... you might try eliminating it. And it appears to me that unless you're doing the early Atkins ('72) that you're not eating nearly enough veggies. 12 to 15 ng (17 to 22 if you're in the beg of OWL) must come from just the approved veggies. That leaves you only 3 to 8 grams leftover for "other" carb sources. Cheese has carbohydrates... check the kind of cheese you're eating. The rotisserie chicken would have had some kind of flavoring/solution added... check the label for carbs.

Are you drinking enough water? Water is necessary for fat metabolism. Poor water intake = poor weight loss.

My suggestion... eat the 17 to 22 net grams carb of approved veggies per day. Use the leftover 3 to 8 ng carb on things other than cheese... cream, Splenda (1g per packet), salad dressing, etc. Increase your water intake. Give it a week and see if it helps.

Also... it's not JUST about the # of carbs you're eating. Where they come from makes a huge difference. Follow the Induction and OWL foods lists. If it's not on either list, you can't have it. Later on is the time to experiment. NOT NOW.

Finally... spread your carbs out over the course of the day. You will mess things up if you eat too many at one meal or snack.

After induction, you most likely will need to count calories and this is especially true for woman over the age of 35. My BMR is 1500 cal/day. If I eat more than that I start gaining body fat. I track my carbs and total calories, because it is very easy to over-eat in NA. I got fat by over-eating, and although LC and ketosis helps, it isn't the answer alone it still has to be a "minds on" way of eating.